High Claw Gold & Exorcism
Grindelwald stood before the shop doors.
He was dressed in a robe resembling that of a missionary… restrained and deliberately non-threatening.
On the surface, he appeared calm.
Internally, his emotions were anything but.
This was the man who would ignite the European wizarding revolution.
And today, after seven years of wandering, study, and accumulation of power, he was about to meet his mentor again.
Excitement churned in his chest. Nervousness followed close behind.
And beneath it all… a trace of hatred.
That hatred did not originate from him entirely. It was a remnant of the original Grindelwald's personality, faint and mostly irrelevant.
It lingered more like a scar than an active wound.
Back then…
He had been arrogant. Ignorant of how deep the world truly was.
He remembered those two devil-like sisters… Lilith and Vivienne—seizing him without warning, dragging him away under the pretense of 'guidance' and 'education.'
At the time, he had thought them nothing more than dangerous magical creatures.
Only much later did he learn the truth.
Behind his so-called mentor… stood a Supreme. The realization chilled him to the bone.
Recalling it now, even with shared memories and a stronger heart, Grindelwald felt a flicker of fear.
Back then, he had truly believed he would die seeking revenge.
And yet…
If I had died then, he thought calmly, I would never have gained independence.
Perhaps fate had twisted cruelly… but it had also opened doors.
Behind him stood his followers.
One clad in black.
One in white.
A towering woman with a simple expression.
And three others who waited silently.
They watched their leader stand motionless before the door.
"What is the leader doing?"
Someone whispered, "I don't know either. Big sister, do you?"
The big woman stared at Grindelwald with sparkling eyes. "…So handsome."
Two followers exchanged looks. She's useless.
Neither dared interrupt. And reminding Grindelwald was unthinkable.
They waited.
Jingle.
The door opened.
Lilith stood there, crimson eyes flicking over Grindelwald and his followers with open disdain.
"Come in," She said coldly. "The master has been watching you stand here for quite a while."
Grindelwald's body reacted before his mind could stop it.
His head dipped instinctively.
The trauma Lilith and Vivienne had carved into him all those years ago was etched into his bones.
"I'm… sorry," He said quietly.
Lilith waved her hand impatiently. "Spare me. Come inside."
Her patience like that of most demons was limited.
Demons enjoyed schemes and manipulation, yes. But when their plans were disrupted or delayed, irritation surfaced quickly.
Impulsiveness was a demon's vice.
And demons were nothing if not impulsive.
After straightening his robe and brushing away invisible dust, Grindelwald followed Lilith inside.
The interior was a bizarre contradiction.
Antique furnishings, resplendent gold accents.
Arcane tools from the wizarding world.
And then… something entirely out of place.
Garfield was squatting in front of a color television. In his paws was a red-and-white console developed by Wakanda.
On the screen, Super Orange Cat a distinctly feline version of Super Mario, leapt triumphantly across pixelated platforms.
Garfield pressed a button, finished a level, typed gg, and finally looked up.
"Sit." He said casually.
Grindelwald obeyed immediately, seating himself beside the orange cat while carefully suppressing his excitement.
Garfield glanced sideways.
"Want to play a game?" He asked. "This won't exist in normal human society for decades."
"Decades?" Grindelwald froze.
Garfield calculated briefly.
"About sixty years. Maybe a little over fifty. Depends on how fast humanity develops."
He shrugged. "There are always… special cases."
Grindelwald looked at him in awe.
"Teacher," He said sincerely, "You sound very certain."
Garfield rolled his eyes.
Can I tell you I'm a time traveler, he thought, reincarnated as a milk-orange kitten who was almost castrated?
"You don't need to know that yet," Garfield said lazily.
"You'll understand it in the future."
He pressed another button. On the screen, the orange cat sprinted forward, leaping over mushrooms and snagging a fish midair.
With a flash, the small orange cat grew larger, claws flashing as it swatted every obstacle in its path.
"By the way." Garfield added casually, "Why are you here this time?"
He didn't look up. "I know how much effort Albus Dumbledore has spent trying to catch you."
At the mention of Dumbledore's name, Grindelwald stiffened.
"Master." He said quickly, sitting straighter, "First, because I haven't seen you for seven years. I came to visit you personally."
He hesitated, then continued honestly. "Second, I came to America to look for allies who share my ideals."
Garfield snorted softly and moved the joystick again.
"The Ministry of Magic here is determined to arrest you." He said flatly. "If you're looking for allies in US, your chances are… poor."
The orange cat slid down a flagpole and entered the next stage.
"I know what you're planning." Garfield continued.
"The wizarding world pretends it's separate from the ordinary human world, but in reality, the two are tightly bound."
He paused. "They're like the front and back of a fish."
On the screen, enemies rushed in from both sides.
"The human world in Europe is already unstable." Garfield went on. "War is coming. Consider this a reminder."
Grindelwald straightened completely, waiting.
"Italy can serve as nothing more than a mascot." Garfield's tone sharpened.
"As for that island nation, its leaders are pig-headed teammates who don't even know their own weight, yet insist on challenging the strongest power on this planet."
He flicked his tail.
"If you choose either of them as allies in the human world, your ambitions will collapse before they begin."
Grindelwald frowned.
"Great mentor… I agree they're unreliable." He admitted, "But there aren't many other forces willing to support me."
At that moment, the orange cat on the screen slipped into a sewer and vanished.
[Game Over]
Garfield sighed and tossed the controller aside.
"Sometimes." He said calmly, "Those you instinctively label as enemies don't actually need to be your enemies."
He turned and fixed Grindelwald with a serious stare.
"There is no inherent conflict of interest between you and some of the powers you refuse to consider." He leaned forward.
"And don't fool yourself into thinking you can dominate the world through a handful of small nations. Even if their people are disciplined and adaptable."
Garfield raised a claw. "Quantity creates quality."
"When numbers reach a certain threshold, reality stops obeying individual strength."
Grindelwald blinked.
Garfield waved dismissively. "If you don't understand, I'll give you an example. And no, I'm not talking about eating chestnuts."
He gestured. "Let's say one of your elite fighters can defeat five ordinary soldiers. Ten civilians."
"So what happens if the enemy sends a hundred?"
"They won't line up and challenge you one by one."
"They'll each grab a brick."
"And they'll throw all of them at your face at once." Garfield's eyes narrowed.
"You'll die like a stray dog."
"…"
"…Do you understand now?"
Grindelwald hesitated. "Somewhat."
Garfield groaned. "This isn't a failure of explanation… It's that your thinking can't keep up."
He reached out and thumped Grindelwald lightly on the head with the controller.
"What I'm telling you is this, don't think you can conquer the world by riding on the resentment of a single nation desperate to avenge humiliation."
"If you can't even control all of Europe." Garfield continued coldly, "Italy is nothing but dead weight."
He straightened.
"Talk to the great northern power. You have no direct national-interest conflict with them."
"As for that island… discard it."
"A pig teammate will only drag you into a pit." Garfield met Grindelwald's eyes.
"Now, do you understand!?"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream